Diffuser for feed water heater

ABSTRACT

A diffuser for a feed water heater is made from capped coaxial lengths of perforated pipe of a larger and a smaller diameter disposed one within the other and fixed to protrude from the water inlet, a rectangular baffle being fixed between the walls of the perforated pipes near the water inlet to direct entering flow to adjacent feed water tubes.

United States. Patent Inventor Joseph T. Enders Berkeley, 11]. App1.No.-847,645 Filed Aug. 5, 1969 Patented Oct. 5, 1971 Assignee StruthersWells Corporation Priority Aug. 7, 1968 Great Britain 37697/68 DIFFUSERFOR FEED WATER HEATER 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

Int. Cl 1105b l/l4 Field of Search 239/542,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,213,955 9/1940 Freitas239/542 2,760,819 8/1956 Thomas... 239/542 X 2,909,328 10/1959Babyak.... 239/542 X 3,244,197 4/1966 Stilwell 137/592 3,342,193 9/1967Deering et al. 239/5535 X FOREIGN PATENTS 876,891 9/1954 Germany 137/592Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. MarAttorney-William A. Drucker ABSTRACT: A diffuser for a feed water heateris made from capped coaxial lengths of perforated pipe of a larger and asmaller diameter disposed one within the other and fixed to protrudefrom the water inlet. a rectangular baffle being fixed between the wallsof the perforated pipes near the water inlet to direct entering flow toadjacent feed water tubes.

DIFFUSER FOR FEED WATER HEATER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In ahigh-pressure utility thermal power system, tubes of the feed waterheater are subjected to high fluid impingement velocities which arethought to be the main factor causing steel wastage in the form ofcorrosion or arosion near the entrances of the tubes in the inletchamber. Conventional practice has the water inlet of a feed waterheater enter the inlet chamber at right angles to the flow into thetubes fixed in the inlet chamber tube sheet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a diffuser to bemounted on the inlet neck of a feed water heater to reduce impingementvelocities and minimize eddies in the entrance chamber by distributingentering fiow to the tubes. The inexpensive diffuser of this inventionconsists of capped coaxial lengths of perforated pipe of larger andsmaller diameter disposed one within the other and fixed to protrudefrom the water inlet. A rectangular baffle with a boxlike configurationis fixed between the walls of the perforated pipes near the water inletand directs flow to the nearest adjacent tubes which would otherwise berelatively water starved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a section through a fragmentof an inlet chamber and a difi'user mounted therein; and

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 with a portion of the outerperforated pipe of the diffuser broken away.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A conventional feed water heaterhas an inlet chamber with an inlet tube sheet 11 into which tubes 12 arefixed. An inlet neck 13 extends into inlet chamber 10 to conduct watertherein.

The diffuser of this invention has a base 15 fixed or screwed into neck13. Base 15 has a washerlike disk 16 welded thereon. A centralperforated pipe 17 is welded to extend outward from the central openingof disk 16 and a larger diameter perforated pipe 18 is welded to extendoutward from the periphery of disk 16. The perforations 19 of pipe 17and the perforations 20 of pipe 18 may be of any desired size andspacing to accommodate a required flow therethrough. The pipes 17 and 18may be formed by rolling them from perforated sheet stock. A cap orclosure 22 is welded over the ends of pipes 17 and 18.

A rectangular baffle or box 24 has the sides 25 and 26 and the end wall27 which extend between the inner and outer perforated pipes 17 and 18.Washer 16 forms one end wall of box 24. The perforated pipes 17 and 18fonn its top and bottom and the perforations l9 and 20 allow flowthrough the box 24 which serves to direct flow to the tube or tubes 12nearest inlet neck 13.

While this invention has been shown and described in the best formknown, it will nevertheless be understood that this is purely exemplary.

What is claimed is:

l. A diffuser for feed water heater having an inlet chamber, a tubesheet in said inlet chamber, and a water inlet at substantially rightangles to said tube sheet, said difiuser comprising, in combination, aninlet neck, a first perforated pipe extending from said inlet neck, asecond larger diameter perforated pipe disposed about said firstperforated pipe with an annular space therebetween, a washer shapedclosure extending between the ends of said perforated pipes disposedtowards said neck, a cap fixed over the ends of said perforated pipesdisposed away from said neck, and a rectangular baffle having an endwall formed by said washer shaped closure enclosing a portion of thespace between said perforated pipes adjacent to said neck and facingtoward said tube sheet.

1. A diffuser for feed water heater having an inlet chamber, a tubesheet in said inlet chamber, and a water inlet at substantially rightangles to said tube sheet, said diffuser comprising, in combination, aninlet neck, a first perforated pipe extending from said inlet neck, asecond larger diameter perforated pipe disposed about said firstperforated pipe with an annular space therebetween, a washer shapedclosure extending between the ends of said perforated pipes disposedtowards said neck, a cap fixed over the ends of said perforated pipesdisposed away from said neck, and a rectangular baffle having an endwall formed by said washer shaped closure enclosing a portion of thespace between said perforated pipes adjacent to said neck and facingtoward said tube sheet.